Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. If the spread is not controlled, it can result in death. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2012 there were 1.3 million new cases of cancer and 555,000 cancer-related deaths. Overall mortality rates have declined by 1% per year during the 1990s. There are currently over 9 million living Americans who have been diagnosed with cancer; and the NIH estimates the direct medical costs of cancer as $60 billion per year.
Typical treatment modalities useful in the treatment of cancer include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery (see, for example, Stockdale, 1998, “Principles of Cancer Subject Management”, in Scientific American: Medicine, vol. 3, Rubenstein and Federman, eds., Chapter 12, Section IV). All of these approaches pose significant drawbacks for the subject. Surgery, for example, can be contraindicated due to the health of the subject or can be unacceptable to the subject. Additionally, surgery may not successfully remove all neoplastic tissue. Chemotherapy involves the administration of cytotoxic chemical agents which are associated with a broad spectrum of undesirable side effects, including alopecia, nausea and vomiting, hematoxicity, neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. In addition, cancer cells commonly develop resistance to most anticancer agents, thus rendering chemotherapy ineffective over time.
There is a significant need in the art for novel compounds, compositions, and methods that are useful for treating cancer or neoplastic disease with increased selectivity and decreased toxicity.